Can Automation Help Municipal Governments Address Climate Change Initiatives?

As I continue my pursuits to help change lives, one of the biggest impacts on our society over the next 10 years will be the effect that climate change has on our world. While Earth Day (April 22) is a time to think about how we can help restore our planet, it's also a day to act.

Many governments have seen climate action accelerate over the last several years. Within the United States (U.S.), 15 states have taken legislative or executive action toward 100% clean energy as of April 2020. Across the globe, "49 countries plus the EU" have net-zero emission pledges.

To move forward, this year, I would like to see policies with more direct language on what municipal governments need to do to help combat climate change. So, what specifically should be in these policies to help drive change at the municipal government level?

Climate change baseline dashboard

Before a municipal government can begin showing progress, they need to understand where they are in terms of green initiatives and governmental processes. Using a dashboard at the highest levels will help show how metrics are improving. And unattended automation allows for access to various systems that contain pertinent data. Putting that data into a dashboard is simplified with automation. Which means creating a climate change dashboard that can be actionable!

Source: Don Horan

Legacy systems are no longer obstacles

One reason I often hear about why we can’t move forward faster is that governmental agencies “don’t have a system for that.” Or “Our system is too old.” When pushing forward with climate change initiatives, governments need to understand that those are no longer obstacles.

The advancements in robotic process automation (RPA) technology have allowed for the rapid deployment of new systems or interfaces that communicate with legacy systems. You can quickly standup front-end interfaces and develop, test, and deploy applications using an RPA platform. Also, with the power of RPA platform tools, you can create new custom applications and use RPA to measure success through easy-to-create dashboards or out-of-the-box analytical tools. By incorporating unattended and attended robots, you’ll have the power to connect to systems where there may not be an API connector. Whether you want to continue to use a legacy mainframe system or deploy something new, RPA can help.

Related article: Why RPA is an Ideal Technology to Integrate Legacy Systems

Maybe your climate-related initiatives are changing your tax system to allow for new “green incentives,” setting up a dashboard, or creating a “green bank.” RPA can help you advance those initiatives.